Microsoft has aired an advert that takes aim at the haters of its latest browser, Internet Explorer 10 (aka IE10), our sister site CNET News reports.
If you're not a fan, you're a trolling loner who spends all your time posting hateful comments online. That's according to the ad, anyway. It's not exactly subtle, but does it hit the nail on the head? Check out the video below.
The ad goes on to suggest that the kind of person who isn't enamoured with Microsoft's browser drinks from an I-hate-IE mug, is surrounded by lava lamps and plasma balls, and gets angry at the mere mention of Microsoft doing well. (Microsoft says he's a young man, too, but seeing as trolling seems a very male pastime, I'm not going to argue with that.) And, this being the Internet, he of course wants to leave a comment.
Unfortunately, this particular troll can't muster much more than "IE SUCKS". Again, this corresponds with the level of eloquence displayed by the average troll in expressing their opinion.
But what's this? IE10 is available on the Xbox 360? It implements HTML6? It "adopts an island of kittens and donates them to children everywhere!!! #Kids+KittiesRULE"? How was our troll not won over by a hashtag like that?
In the end, it's karaoke that melts his heart, as IE10 "introduces a new Karaoke web standard", the ad says. At this point, our keyboard hero is forced to admit that "IE sucks... less". He's even taken his elbow off the caps lock, which is the first step to recovery in my eyes.
All in all, it's quite a tongue-in-cheek effort from Microsoft. The URL given at the end is even www.TheBrowserYouLovedToHate.com.
It seems as though Microsoft is taking a potshot at a stereotype (though one which isn't completely inaccurate). Some may well hate Internet Explorer just because they are angry young men, but many others fell out with the browser a long time ago because Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox left it for dead. Maybe Microsoft would be better off facing up to that, rather than laying the blame squarely at the feet of the haters.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 63
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anonymous 1 December, 2012 09:18
Chrome every time. I find IE slows my system down and I spend ages grinding teeth waiting for adverts to load in. Microsoft have lost the plot now and are no longer world leaders in tech.
TomGiles 1 December, 2012 09:20
People focus on the look and swiftness of the browser, which Google Chrome has nailed. People focus on the speed and ability to not crash when using certain plug-ins, which Mozilla Firefox has nailed.
Microsoft should be focusing on the main points of improving their browser and the problems everyone left the browser because of, then allow benchmarks and tests to speak for themselves. I think this is a rookie move that will just infuriate those who have a genuine reason why they do not use the browser, and it's not enticing them to use it either...
anonymous 1 December, 2012 13:14
i have nothing against IE. i just Dont like the UI i prefer chrome i used to be a firefox fan but google have done a great job with chrome
CaptainPicard 1 December, 2012 19:54
Did anyone else have trouble accessing this article in the morning?
And IE is sh*t. I don't care what Microsoft thinks of me. Maybe it was fast and revolutionary in the 90s but today, Chrome is the best! What I like most about Chrome is that it's fast, simple and easy to use, yet you can really customise it. And its fast on all Windows OS's from XP to Windows 7.
I use to have IE9. It took me hours to download all the updates and IE9 it self. I used it for a few days and it was kinda fast, but then I downloaded a Windows update which basically messed up my PC, and the only thing that worked was Chrome. I reset PC, and I'm never gonna download an update or IE ever again.
anonymous 1 December, 2012 20:21
Ha ha, yes, they're exactly like that Picard. Good one!
Patrick Cantellow 1 December, 2012 21:18
The only thing I like about IE is the taskbar pinning, i just put things there to make it look good, but never click on it because it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo slow.
anonymous 1 December, 2012 22:17
IE SUCKS!
Sorry. I couldn't resist.
anonymous 2 December, 2012 02:53
I've got Win 8 with IE10. Before I was using Chrome because of speed, until now. IE10 is a bit faster than Chrome and works awesome with a touch interface, I absolutely love it. And remember everybody, IE10 isn't IE9 or anything else, it is one of a kind in its own league.
shauney3 2 December, 2012 08:53
Yeppa! IE 6,7,8 and 9 were 'tear-my-eyes-out' awful. Not being a troll, google it and see. Even MS employees never used it outside of work. However I got a feeling IE10 will be ok, it will implement well with Windows 8 and look decent. But Chrome has really nailed it with their browser and has raised the bar far beyond what MS can offer... Firefox is better than IE too. The advert isn't even funny. Got repetitive and annoying. Just like IE...
I'm sure IE10 will do a great job of downloading Chrome for me ;-)
Mark Anderson 2 December, 2012 09:45
IE10 is Ok although it's not quite as fast as Chrome in my subjective opinion.
That said, it doesn't mangle commentary boxes like Chrome does. Chrome is far from perfect boys and girls. Let's be honest.
Eric Manktelow 2 December, 2012 10:01
People wouldn't say IE sucks if it didn't... well you know suck so much.
Microsoft might have improved IE now but Chrome and Firefox are still way ahead.
Give a dog a bad name...
anonymous 2 December, 2012 10:12
No browser is perfect as the reliance is on the site owner to ensure browser compatibility. What chrome and Firefox do is implement the HTML standard set out by W3C. Chrome has increased the importance of the browser page itself and the speed of JavaScript. Whereas Firefox brought tabbed and safe browsing into the mainstream. IE has consistently done its own thing in terms of HTML standards and has been very very slow especially with JavaScript.
IE 10 from what I've seen is fast. That is it. Not sure if they have sorted out their obismole developer tools, I hope so. It is a good thing that IE has sorted out its speed issues. Let's see if they implement W3C standards. Let's also face it Microsoft could and should have done this years ago.
Jason Butler 2 December, 2012 11:06
IE has always been bad... as a developer, I'm constantly having to write fixes and hacks to get round microsoft's browser inability to perform as well as chrome and firefox.
IE has never been 'standards compliment' and I'm sick of some of my clients complaining to me like its my fault (the javascript engine in ie9 is worse than ie8!) I'd personal like invoice microsoft for all the hours fixing sites just because of their screw up.
I dont think IE10 isnt going to change anything.... just more of the same
anonymous 2 December, 2012 12:56
I dont hate IE. I just stopped using it and switched to Chrome years ago, why would I want to switch back?
Matt Winston. 2 December, 2012 13:05
Chrome is perfect. I may have had some problems with it, but that was really down to my PC being slow, not the browser. And for 2 years I haven't seen "internet explorer has stopped working" :))
And I would give IE10 a chance only if they make downloading the browser easier, I don't wanna go through the hassle of installing so many updates that slow down my PC.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 02:56
i downloaded the IE 10 a couple of hrs ago this thing crashed my internet browsers i had to reset IE back to 9 because it was not letting me use the any browser not even goolge chrome!!! spent 2 hours restoring it back to where i had it before!!!!!!! DONT DOWNLOAD!!!!1
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:19
rockmelt, opera, dolphin, chrome, nightly..anything but ie and firefox (which i used to love but now doesnt work well for me)
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:34
I must admit, I never really was a fan of Firefox, or internet explorer, I was a fan and still am a fan and avid user of Google Chrome since day 1, but my secondary choice for a browser is ie10, Microsoft actually made it fast, and it's slowly getting more stable, and it is alot more responsive then even ie9, Microsoft needs to work on it more still, but they're finally starting to get it right
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:39
@Jason Butler 2 December, 2012 11:06
How is IE9's javascript engine "worse" than IE8's? As a fellow web developer I'd love you to qualify that statement.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:40
I recommend that IE10 is gr8 on windows 8 and 7 Chrome is a league of its own
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:41
M$ has to realize that the issues isn't haters, it's M$. IE is clumsy, slow, bloated, without half the features that Chrome, Firefox, Opera, even Safari (which has been discontinued for Windows!) offer in their latest versions. IE 10 is just another piece of bloatware.
AND they keep forcing their "Advertisement Engine". otherwise known as Bing, on us as well. Google or Yahoo, even Ask deliver better search results and less in-your-face advertisements.
Finally - really, IE is linked to Windows and there are love-hate relationships to this product and M$ that are not going way anytime soon.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:43
'...less'
'OH! But rest assured it does still suck'
'...just not as much'
'...progress'
HA!
As long as they force everyone that runs MS clunkdows to download it,
and it actually displays the internet how it is supposed to,
and I don't have to write fixes for it's inadequacies,
I'm happy.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:45
The guy in the video is right, IE is only good for downloading other browsers. I find that IE slows my computer down, and IE doesn't respond well. I think Chrome is the best alternative, because it is fast, fluid, and it is just awesome. :)
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:50
Isn't it sad that Microsoft can't even use their own operating system to make this ad?
Black pointer, smooth fonts. Looks like a Mac.
Michael Hill 3 December, 2012 12:52
I like IE and at times I hate it. I find myself hating Opera lately as well. I like "slimbrowser" for quick browsing and downloading. IE is good if you know where the reset internet explorer settings button is located. ;) IE doesn't SUCK so much... ;)
David Pinson 3 December, 2012 12:52
My problem with IE is from a web designer's point of view. I'm tired of having fight with it. It's buggy with CSS properties, so I end up having to go around find other ways to do things that Chrome and Firefox are doing perfectly fine. Other than that, I have no problem with IE.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 12:54
I have not used IE in years..not since other browsers appeared. IE is simply too slow and unwieldy. I don't know any trolls, so I can't speak about what they use, but I find that Chrome is fastest and best for my use..
Stu Wood 3 December, 2012 13:03
it is funny and truly nerdy to compare browsers nowadays when they all have basically the same functionality. IE10 is good and so is Chrome etc. I work as a Financial Adviser and have to use IE when submitting anything with Providers (banks etc) this is due to them all being Microsoft certified. I then use Chrome for my personal viewing FB etc, this is just to have a little separation.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 13:04
IE SUCKS
anonymous 3 December, 2012 13:14
IE sucks since his beginin', It slows performace, use lots of RAM (in my case) and its slow it self
Mozzila or Chrome (Y)
anonymous 3 December, 2012 13:36
I have massive hanging problems with Mozilla. I use Chrome a lot because I love Google and I want to be hip. But when no one is looking, I use IE and it's perfect.
Josiah Gensler 3 December, 2012 13:40
I like having a fully customized interface with the addons I enjoy without extraneous toolbars. That includes WOT and Adblockplus. Until IE has support for those without adding more toolbars, I will not be interested.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 13:42
It's not really stable on W8 pro yet, but it does look cool in the native W8 mode. I don't know much, 90% of the time I'm on a Mac running OSX and I use Google Chrome.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 13:44
Actually I do like Chrome better than IE or Safari.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 13:47
+1 vote Google Chrome
anonymous 3 December, 2012 14:07
I'm not an MS hater but IE really does suck.... Chrome has more support for HTML5 and is a superior browser to IE, Safari and even Firefox (close 2nd). The only time I have an issue with Chrome is when I use IE tabs. :)
anonymous 3 December, 2012 14:17
I used to love chrome, but it's such a memory hog compared to other browsers that I avoid it as much as I avoid IE now. Firefox is tops for me right now, but that is always open to change as browsers change.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 14:45
IE SUCKS because... it's Microsoft. «Microsoft - just adding a price tag to everything»
anonymous 3 December, 2012 14:51
Maxthon is the best.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 14:55
I'm also a web designer, and i've spent the last 5 years fighting with the insanity that is Microsoft Internet Explorer. I agree with pretty much every designer that's commented so far. Their inability to conform to industry standards makes it incredibly work intensive to build web applications for clients where all they use is IE... yet still have a good looking site on Firefox or Chrome.
With IE9, they did get better on some standards, but the still sucked when it came to efficient load times. IE even warned you when you had longer than normal load times, and sometimes it was it's own add-ons that caused it.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 15:23
i prefer to use comodo dragon browser,its a chromium browser with enhanced security capabilities.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 15:58
I used all the browsers that are mentioned in this site. IE? Yeah, it really is slow and inflexible.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 16:11
So I guess I am angry young man who likes how google intergraded chrome gave me an ability to google voice, gmail, being able to send pages right onto my phone, having all bookmarks in one place, and being able to access opened tabs on my phone. IE SUCKED. I moved on. Unless Chrome starts sucking or Microsoft bans Chrome on Windows, there is no reason to go back.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 17:15
IE 10 that came with the Failed Windows 8.. both Sux AZZ...
anonymous 3 December, 2012 17:55
IE SUCKS... More...
anonymous 3 December, 2012 18:17
It's odd, I use chrome on windows 7 as it is easily the fastest, but it is considerably slower on windows 8 and is straight up useless on Android. IE 10 is what I use now on Windows 8 as it is quicker and far more stable. But perhaps Google just haven't optimised chrome for Windows 8 properly yet. As for Firefox, I'm sorry but it's crap and has been for a long time, slow and majorly buggy, I will not be going back.
James Fallon 3 December, 2012 18:58
IE sucks 4Evur SRsly!!
LOL, but srsly, Ie does suck. Too much bloatware, no advantages over most competitors, not available for inux anyways sooo yeah....
anonymous 3 December, 2012 19:01
I find IE10 quite slow, I could never forgive them for all the ActiveX disasters that happened in earlier versions and when it comes to coding and designing websites, Internet Explorer in general is the most annoying browser to work with. I'd rather not deal with their sub-par browser and use Firefox or Chrome.
anonymous 3 December, 2012 19:27
does't matter how many numbers they pur next to the name "IE10 /IE11/IE3000" still the same slow crap I'll stick with chrome all the way
CaptainPicard 3 December, 2012 22:50
Chrome sucks! Im on about the Android app, it has messed up my phone (One X). I downloaded it 2 days ago and Chrome is fast, and I really like the bookmarked websites interface, but I prefer my native Android browser. My problem now is, the native Android browser doesn't work properly and neither do other browsers from Maxthon to Opera! And the the only browser that works is, Chrome, which is great but doesn't support flash.
So this is really a warning to anyone considering the Chrome Mobile app, its OK but its in beta, so other browsers wont work properly. But the Chrome desktop browser rocks!
anonymous 4 December, 2012 01:42
IE PLEASE OH PLEASE RETIRE ALREADY.. AND GIVE THE WHOLE WOLRD A HAPPY CHRISTMAS...
-DEVELOPER FROM PH
anonymous 4 December, 2012 10:39
As I commented on that Microsoft site, how come the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera all work on Windows XP, but Microsoft's browser doesn't?
Gareth Saunders 4 December, 2012 11:26
Did anyone else notice that the IE hater in the video was using a Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard and a Microsoft Intellimouse Optical 1.1? A nice touch.
I tweeted the other day saying that there are lots of Microsoft applications that I really, really like and use every day. But I simply don't like the IE9 or 10 user-interface (UI). I don't find it helps me work more efficiently, compared with Chrome, for example.
I use IE (I have the IE10 preview installed on Windows 7 just now) because I need to test web developments, but I really only use it if I must. It is certainly much easier to code for, compared with a few years ago. Now, if only Microsoft could address the UI.
anonymous 9 December, 2012 21:54
@Microsoft it's not just IE10 it's the whole company, suckout micropeni!
anonymous 16 December, 2012 04:15
Just another web developer still finding IE10 is a pain for all the hype. two days prototyping a major site that works in every browser perfectly EXCEPT ie10 where its nothing but JScript problems.
Sorry MS - love lots of your work but forget about Internet Explorer and leave it to some other people who can, ya know, do it properly?
anonymous 2 January, 2013 19:41
ie10 seems to be working ok - except for a recent shockwave upgrade that hangs tabs that include shockwave advertisements
Jairo Jairosoft Moreno 8 March, 2013 16:32
I was hoping to like IE10. It comes with Windows 8. I like things about Opera. I am starting to like Chrome. I haven't used Firefox in a long time, but I will try it more. So I got Windows 8 with all these browsers. But somehow a few days ago IE10 goes into "Not Responding" and alternates every second between being in focus and being out of focus where you can't type while it is out of focus. I have tried doing all kinds of things to investigate and troubleshoot: reset, delete temp files, cookies, etc, removed and reinstalled, run sfc /scannow, run Malwarebytes, and tried installing AOL 9.7 (with the reasoning that since it uses IE browser maybe it will behave similarly) but it is behaving similarly going in and out of focus. Has anybody had that bad behavior happen to IE on their Windows system?
Chankey Pathak 25 March, 2013 05:00
Internet Explorer = Nightmare for developers!
anonymous 26 March, 2013 04:59
Umm, I never did mind IE that much. I haven't used it in years but test web pages with it and other browsers for obvious reasons. However, IE 10 has not made a good first impression. The autoclear x located within all textboxes is awful, ugly, and useless. IE 10 also forces me to re-register my debugger in VS 2010. Uninstall, I will continue to test in 9.
anonymous 29 April, 2013 20:24
IE10 doesn't respect page breaks in the same manner as previous versions of IE (real shocker, there, huh?). Every other browser's latest version -- on both PCs and Macs -- print multiple pages with page breaks just fine.
The only way around the problem in IE10 is to turn on Compatibility Mode, which coincidentally wreaks havoc with some HTML elements that work fine in every other browser scenario (yet another shocker).
So I turn to MS's forums, and can't even contribute a question until I've signed up, which requires my DOB, number of children, Zip code, etc. I don't even use their crappy little browser, so I don't really feel like sharing all that personal info with MS.
Anybody else out there having this problem, or maybe even have a solution to it?
anonymous 5 May, 2013 21:40
Microsoft can't paint a pig pink with IE 10 because of the following fact: If you have windows live installed on a windows 7 machine, it is very easy to have it switch to go off line. For some weird reason, IE10 makes the windows live mail client operate offline easily. I have a friend who I am helping through this issue. We may resort to her mail being delivered by Thunderbird because of this flaw. Did you ever look WHERE they put the offline switch? It goes file>offline really close to the quit part of the menu. There are some folks out there who do a file>exit and they can very easily get those mixed up.
anonymous 7 May, 2013 09:10
I have some customers with the same problem with IE10. It won't print page breaks. This is an ecommerce-system, so they really need to be able to print out each order on seperate pages... The question is if it's possible to get the old man to switch browser.
anonymous 9 May, 2013 16:28
Am I a troll to hate IE 10 when it refuses to remember my previous session, even though it claims to have a setting to do that automatically, a Tools menu item to "Reopen last browsing session", and so-called Crash Recovery - all of which do not work?